"Is it that controversial to put your two highest-ranked singles players out there? No" - Great Britain Team Captain Leon Smith defends Davis Cup decision making

Leon Smith has gotten some criticism over his decision-making in the Davis Cup ties that Britain lost to the Netherlands and the United States.

Both of those matches went to the doubles as deciding matches and neither time were Salisbury and Murray able to get it done. They weren't crushed on the court but rather beaten in closely contested affairs. It was a huge shock for the British team who played at home in Glasgow with one of the strongest teams they ever had.

Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Andy Murray are all ranked inside the top 50 while Salisbury and Skupski are number one and three in doubles. Playing Murray in the doubles over Skupski did raise some eyebrows with fans but Smith defended his choices explaining:

"Is it that controversial to put your two highest-ranked singles players out there? No. Is it controversial to put the number one doubles player in the world out there? No. Is it controversial to put Andy Murray out there on the court here in Glasgow? I don't think so. We believed that was the right thing to do, and that's on me."

Smith has a point but many will wonder whether putting Murray head of a doubles specialist in Skupski was the right thing to do. Murray himself questioned it during his part of the press conference. We will never know.